How to Write a Great Cover Letter
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A cover letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself beyond your CV.
While your CV outlines your experience and qualifications, a cover letter helps you explain:
- Why you’re interested in the role
- What makes you a strong fit
- How your experience connects to the job requirements
- What motivates you and what you can bring to the team
What to include
1. Introduction
Start by clearly stating:
Example:
“I am applying for the Customer Service Advisor role at Serco because I’m passionate about delivering excellent customer experiences and supporting services that make a positive difference to people’s lives.”
- The role you’re applying for
- Where you found the vacancy (if relevant)
- Why the opportunity interests you
- Keep this section short and engaging.
Example:
“I am applying for the Customer Service Advisor role at Serco because I’m passionate about delivering excellent customer experiences and supporting services that make a positive difference to people’s lives.”
2. Briefly outline your relevant experience and achievements
Choose 2–3 examples that best demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Focus on:
Where possible, include measurable results such as:
Example:
Instead of “I answered customer calls and emails every day”, try: “In my previous role, I managed a high volume of customer enquiries while maintaining a 95% customer satisfaction rating and consistently meeting response time targets.”
Focus on:
- Relevant skills and responsibilities
- Achievements and outcomes
- Real examples of impact
Where possible, include measurable results such as:
- Percentages
- Targets achieved
- Team performance
- Time or cost savings
- Customer satisfaction improvements
Example:
Instead of “I answered customer calls and emails every day”, try: “In my previous role, I managed a high volume of customer enquiries while maintaining a 95% customer satisfaction rating and consistently meeting response time targets.”
3. Show your motivation and fit
Recruiters want to understand what attracted you to this role and organisation.
You can talk about:
This section helps demonstrate enthusiasm and cultural fit. It’s also an opportunity – if desired – to explain any gaps in your CV.
You can talk about:
- Why you want the role
- Why Serco’s work or values appeal to you
- Your career goals and interests
- How your approach aligns with the role or team
This section helps demonstrate enthusiasm and cultural fit. It’s also an opportunity – if desired – to explain any gaps in your CV.
4. Closing statement
Finish professionally by:
- Thanking the recruiter for their time
- Reaffirming your interest
- Expressing enthusiasm for next steps
Example:
“Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my skills and experience align with the role and look forward to hearing from you.”
Tips for writing a strong cover letter
A clear structure helps recruiters quickly understand your background.
Don’t forget to tailor your CV for the job you’re applying for, so you can clearly illustrate how your skills and experience align with the role.
Don’t forget to tailor your CV for the job you’re applying for, so you can clearly illustrate how your skills and experience align with the role.
Aim for no more than one page. Hiring Managers and recruiters should be able to quickly understand:
- Who you are
- Why you’re applying
- Why you’re suitable
Avoid sending the same cover letter for every role.
Use the job description to identify:
Use the job description to identify:
- Key skills
- Required experience
- Important behaviours or values
Then adapt your examples accordingly.
Your cover letter should complement your CV, not repeat it word-for-word.
Use it to:
Use it to:
- Add context
- Share examples
- Explain achievements
- Show personality and motivation
Write naturally and confidently. Avoid:
- Overly formal language
- Buzzwords or jargon
- Long or complicated sentences
Check:
- Spelling and grammar
- Names and job titles
- Formatting and readability
Reading your letter aloud can help you check it flows wells and doesn’t contain errors.
- Using a generic cover letter for multiple applications
- Repeating your CV without adding further context
- Including irrelevant information
- Making the letter too long
- Overusing jargon or clichés
- Exaggerating skills or experience
- Forgetting to tailor the letter to the role
AI tools can help you:
However, your cover letter should still reflect your own voice, experience, and motivations.
Always:
Hiring Managers value authenticity and honesty, and want to understand what makes you unique.
- Organise your thoughts
- Improve structure and clarity
- Refine tone and grammar
- Tailor content to a job description
However, your cover letter should still reflect your own voice, experience, and motivations.
Always:
- Review AI-generated content carefully
- Check for accuracy
- Personalise the wording
- Remove anything that sounds unnatural or exaggerated
Hiring Managers value authenticity and honesty, and want to understand what makes you unique.
You can use the prompt below with AI tools to help draft or improve your cover letter:
“Using my CV and the job description, draft a professional and personalised cover letter for this role. Highlight the most relevant experience, skills, and achievements from my CV.
Explain that my motivations for applying include [add your motivations here], and that I am particularly interested in this opportunity because [add your reasons here].
Keep the tone concise, professional, and authentic. Do not invent or exaggerate any experience, skills, qualifications, or achievements that are not included in my CV or the information provided.”
“Using my CV and the job description, draft a professional and personalised cover letter for this role. Highlight the most relevant experience, skills, and achievements from my CV.
Explain that my motivations for applying include [add your motivations here], and that I am particularly interested in this opportunity because [add your reasons here].
Keep the tone concise, professional, and authentic. Do not invent or exaggerate any experience, skills, qualifications, or achievements that are not included in my CV or the information provided.”
A great cover letter doesn’t need to be complicated. The strongest applications clearly communicate your experience, motivation, and potential impact.
AI can help you refine your application, but your story, achievements, and experiences are what make you stand out. Start your next chapter with us - explore current opportunities or sign up for alerts when new roles become available.
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